Group classes are a great opportunity to make piano social, and have fun together. Yesterday I held a group class to prepare for our Spring concert which is three weeks away.

We start these classes by doing a trial run of the concert. We talk about what makes a good performer, and also what makes a good audience member. I want my students to not only be comfortable performing for others, but to also be good listeners, and respectful of each others’ performances.

After the concert run-through we have a short juice break, and then we get to play some games.

I have been meaning to put together a floor grand staff for a while now, and decided this group class would finally give me the push to get it done!

I made the floor staff from cotton calico with black ribbon applique lines and clefs. Then I padded it with some quilting. I plan on using the floor staff for lots and lots of games in private as well as group lessons, but below are the couple I chose to get started with yesterday.

Grand Staff Twister

We played Grand Staff Twister with four players, two in the treble clef and two in the bass. I think four is a nice number, but you could probably squeeze in six depending on the size of your staff.

I was surprised by how easily even my weak note readers were able to find the right note in grand staff twister! I really think this will be a fantastic tool for struggling students to see the staff in a new way.

To get the Grand Staff Twister printable just enter your details below and I’ll send it to you, completely free.

The twister game is on the grand staff pictured above Mary. The spinner has “right hand A” for example instead of “right hand red”. The kids then put their right hand on whatever ‘A’ is closest to them. Have I answered your question?

Our floor staves are almost identical. Mine was made the same way (by my lovely grandmother years ago). It has stood up to a lot of use. I think one of my favourite ways to use it is demonstrating the difference between space and line notes to littlies. They really understand when they stand in the space or on the line. I also have a floor keyboard made the same way that is EXCELLENT for hopscotching across letters or groups of black keys.

I have a keyboard version too. I’m really looking forward to using the floor staff to introduce littles to the staff, while they’re still in a pre-reading stage. I think it’s going to be awesome for ear training and relating up-down on the piano to right-left on the piano, a disconnect the littlest students often have to overcome.

Hi Nicola, Thank you for sharing your “proven” music teaching games with us. I have wanted to make a giant floor Grand Staff. You have inspired me. BIG ?’s What size is your floor Grand Staff? Is it washable? Do yo have any tips that will make this project easier to make? Thanks for taking the time to answer my questions.

I have chosen to mark the floor with blue painters tape. I even fashion a clef sign with it. The tape goes on in 5 minutes and comes up in 5 minutes. I use the tiles on the floor for the spacing of the staff and make it as long as I need for the number of children. There is no residue from the blue tape and the cost is minimal when purchased in bulk.

Besides marking the floor, you could also use a very large rubber backed rug, painter’s tarp, heavy vinyl upholstery fabric, or whatever you choose that won’t slip or move under children’s feet.

You have choices for the staff lines. Lines can be made of grosgrain ribbon that is affixed with iron on tape or fabric glue, sewn, or just paint the staff with fabric paints. The main thing is for the spacing to be proportional to the width of your lines. You’ll be able to see if the staff looks disproportional.

For the monetary investment and time, I think I’ll stick with the tape since it’s cheaper, easy to move, and easy to store.

The floor staff is roughly 144-144cm, which is about 1.5 yards. It’s a pretty simple project if you’re a confident sewer , just apply the ribbons and then quilt and bind the edges. Alternatively, I know others have used tape or marker on a shower curtain to create their’s. Hope that helps!

I’m headed to my sewing room to make one of these! No more masking tape on the carpet for my floor staff games! I will be using one or both of these games in my next classes! Thanks, you have such great ideas!

I love the Grand Staff Twister Idea. I have a grand staff that I created. I used flannel backed vinyl table cloth material that can be purchased in big amounts from a sewing store. I drew my staff on the vinyl with permanent marker. It’s lasted for several years and did not cost much to make.

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About Nicola

Nicola has been teaching piano since 2005 and runs a creative piano teaching studio in Dublin, Ireland. Nicola believes in music lessons that motivate and inspire, and shares some of her ideas for vibrant piano lessons on the Colourful Keys blog.

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